SEND Reforms - What this means for Wigan families
The government are making changes to improve support for children and young people with Special Educational Needs
and Disabilities (SEND).
The aim is simple - get help earlier, make support easier to access, and ensure every child can thrive.
What is changing?
The new system will:
- Provide help earlier - you should not have to fight for support
- Be more consistent - the same high standards wherever you live
- Bring services together - education, health and care working as one
- Support children locally - closer to home and their community
What support will be available?
All children will benefit from:
- High-quality inclusive teaching in mainstream settings
- Staff trained to support a wide range of needs
- Access to extra help quickly when it is needed
If more support is needed, there will be three levels of help:
- Targeted support - small group work or adjustments in school
- Targeted Plus - support from specialists like speech therapists
- Specialist support - for the most complex needs, including EHCPs
Children can move between these levels as their needs change.
Individual Support Plans (ISPs)
Every child with SEND will have an Individual Support Plan (ISP), which will:
- Set out their needs
- Explain the support they will receive
- Be developed with you and regularly reviewed
What about Education, Health and Care Plans (EHCPs)?
- EHCPs will continue for children with complex needs
- They will be improved and linked to national standards
- Your child’s legal rights to support remain protected
Support in local schools
Mainstream schools will be more inclusive, with:
- Inclusion bases (quiet spaces and specialist support areas)
- Better access to professionals like educational psychologists, speech and language therapists, occupational therapists and specialist teachers
- Stronger partnerships with special schools
This means more children can be supported in their local school.
Support across your child’s journey
From early years through to college, you can expect:
- Early help from family hubs and nurseries
- Smooth transitions between schools and stages
- Support to prepare for adulthood, employment and independence
Working together with families
You can expect:
- Clear communication from schools
- Opportunities to be involved in decisions
- Better support if things go wrong, including improved complaints processes
When will changes happen?
Reforms will be introduced in phases:
- Early improvements are already starting
- New systems will begin from 2029
Full transition will happen from 2030 onwards.
Find out more
You can find more detailed information about the national reforms at: Every child achieving and thriving and SEND consultation supporting information - GOV.UK (external link).
We have also included some of the key information the Department of Education have produced including their supporting information documents (external link). Within these documents, it sets out key information and proposed reforms in the school’s white paper. We have included some as examples